


You Can't Break Me

by lesbianz4larry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Angst, Bad Boy Louis, Bottom Louis, Cowboy Harry, Cowboys & Cowgirls, M/M, Older Harry, Size Difference, Top Harry, Younger Louis, and Harry is tol, bc Louis is smol, but also points to gryffindor if you can name the movies., i have this based off of like three different movies, larry stylinson - Freeform, sorry that's all I write, tol and smol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-22 13:59:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianz4larry/pseuds/lesbianz4larry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry thinks Louis is a stuck up city boy. </p><p> </p><p>Louis thinks Harry is a stupid hick. </p><p> </p><p>It's obviously a match made in Texas.</p><p>****ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*****</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Louis' father always told him he was proud of him no matter what. And Louis' always really wanted to believe him.

* * *

 

 

Louis waited, laying in bed and staring at the beside table's clock.

**11:52 PM.**

He listened to the sound of the TV downstairs being shut off.

**11:53 PM.**

Louis' mother, Johanna, was downstairs, probably in her pink nightgown -the one with dogs on it and lace ruffles lining the bottom- shuffling around. Louis could hear the couch's inevitable squeak from weight being lifted off of it. He continued to wait.

**11:55 PM.**

Then, there were footsteps going further from Louis' room, which was on top of the living room. Johanna was in the kitchen. He heard the unmistakable sound of liquid (probably her nightly tea) being dumped into the sink and the cup being placed in their loud dishwasher. An electronic noise sounded, and the dishwasher was on. Perfect, Louis thought.

**11:57 PM.**

The steps creaked as Louis' mum sighed worriedly and ascended. He could hear her worn grey -once white- slippers, scuffling along their polished oak wood floors. And finally, a door was opened and shut. Thus, permanently enclosing Johanna into her room for the night.

**12:00 AM.**

He smirked and slowly rolled out of his bed, making sure to scoot out to the left, as the right side squeaked. He typed a quick message to Kyle and Esther before slipping his skinny jeans and worn black vans on. The curtains hanging in front of the window blew around from the breeze coming from his open window, in which he made sure to open before he told his mum he was headed off to bed. The noise from the dishwasher and Lottie's incessant snoring combined was more than enough for Louis to sneak out, undetected by Johanna. He fixed his fringe before popping one leg out of the window. His left leg came next, and he prepared himself for the ten foot fall into the garden bed as he propped himself on that sill. He took a deep breath and slid his phone into his back pocket. Louis closed his eyes, took another breath, and pushed off. For a few moments, Louis was flying through the air without a care in the world.

Only one thought popped into his head as he neared the ground.

I should have grabbed my fucking jacket.

And then Louis hit the ground. If not for the petunias, Louis would have most likely broken something. He mentally apologized to his mum for the squished flowers before jumping up, brushing himself off, and scurrying out of the gate and into the dark of the night. Louis arrived behind Town Square of Beckner Falls, Texas around 12:30. Kyle's neon green hair could be seen, even in the dead of the night. He looked angry.

"Dude, where the fuck have you been? It's almost one!" He whisper yelled. Louis shook his head.

"Never mind that, Ky. I'm here now. Where's Esther?" Louis questioned.

"Getting the shit from the car. You really need your license. We're getting tired of you being late." Kyle tapped his foot and looked to Louis with angry brown eyes. His light skin was covered in paint and he smelled of cigarettes.

"Louis, thanks for finally showing up." A high but quiet voice sounded from behind them. Louis spun around to find Esther in all of her bleach blonde hair and blue eye'd glory. She was holding an abundance and variety of spray paint. Louis smirked.

"Nice to see you babe. Let's get started before I turn 18." He sassed and grabbed the red spray paint from her. Kyle scoffed and grabbed the black. Esther dropped the rest and picket up brown. Esther and Kyle began painted, as for Louis, who just stood and envisioned what to write.

"Lou, hurry the fuck up." Kyle sounded. Louis began painting an 'F'. They continued to spray paint their now the opposite of pristine white town hall wall. Louis was finishing the 'N' in 'FUCK THIS TOWN' when they heard the sirens.

"Shit!" Esther screamed.

"Scram! Meet at mine, take different routes! GO LOUIS!" Kyle screamed when he realized Louis was frozen. This kicked him into panic mode and Louis took off, spray paint can still clutched in his small hand. One foot after the other, Louis ran. He ran for what felt like forever. He ran until his lungs felt like air had been replaced with hot coals. He finally found an alleyway tucked between Fred's Pizzeria and an out of business paint store, in which Louis' mum had bought paint for Louis to paint his room yellow when he was seven. He later covered it up with it's current dark blue.

Louis cowered into the alley, still clutching the paint can with wide eyes. The sirens grew closer and closer; and the closer they came, the harder Louis shook with terror. Adrenaline filled Louis' ears when a squad car flew past his alley. Louis threw himself behind a dumpster, fretting the officer had seen him. When the sirens stopped and it was completely dark again, Louis relaxed. He sighed in relief and let his head fall back against the brick wall. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath.

Until:

"Stand up! Put you hands behind your head!" The cop screamed to Louis, pointing his gun at Louis. Louis stopped breathing and dropped the spray can. He did as he was instructed and lifted his hands to his head. The cop lowered his gun and set it back in his holster, setting the safety back on. The cop pulled out his cuffs and Louis felt his heart drop. He walked behind Louis, who was still frozen still, and pulled his hands down.

"You're under arrest for defacement of government property, breaking and entering. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held..." The officer's voice faded out as Louis was led to and shoved into the back of a squad car. His mum was going to kill him. 

 

* * *

 

 

Kill him, his mother did. 

"Louis William Tomlinson! What in the hell were you thinking? Oh wait, you weren't thinking!" Louis sat on the couch at 3:05 in the morning, his mother screaming at him. No matter how loud she yelled, though, Lottie's snoring didn't stop.

"Mum, I'm sorry. I won't do it again." He recited, just like every other time.

"Every time you tell me that, Louis! Yet here we are, again! Something needs to change Louis!" Louis scoffed at her.

"What do you want from me, Mum? I don't know what to tell you." Johanna's eyes bugged out. She grew ten times as angry than before.

"You know what, Louis?! This was the final straw! You need help that is beyond what I can do for you." 

"Tell me something I don't know." Louis mumbled. 

"I'm sending you away, Louis. To a camp." She deadpanned. Louis perked up. 

"A camp for what?" He questioned, standing up from the couch. His mother sighed and put her hands on his shoulders.

"A camp I used to visit when I was your age. I think it will help you get out of this town and isolate you from these temptations you've been having to get into trouble." 

"Okay, fine. You send me to a camp with crafts and singing. That'll help me." He said, shrugging his mother's hands off of his shoulders. 

"It's a ranch, Lou. I went there when I was your age! I loved it." She spoke with a smile. 

"A ranch?! As in chickens and horses and poop? Why in the hell would you send me there?" Louis screeched.

"Because," his mother began, "it will separate you from social media, these hoodlum friends you have, this town. You need a breather, Lou; need some responsibility. I need you to be better. I can't see you spiral down, Louis." His mother's voice cracked and her eyes grew watery. Louis cracked and sighed. 

"When am I leaving?" He deadpanned. She smiled at him.

"Three days." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been like a year and a half since I updated, and I'm so sorry. I'm going to try to keep updating. Leave a comment or a kudos if you like this story, I love hearing from you guys :-) Love.

Louis stepped out of his mother's car dressed in black skinny jeans and vans. He was sporting a maroon tank top with the Nirvana logo on it. His mother had chastised him about it, deeming it, 'inappropriate for a ranch's attire' and how he, 'wouldn't be safe from snakes and other pests in the tall grasses with those vans'. Louis had shrugged her off. He was happy he did so as well, because he was seeing several wannabe hicks stepping onto the bus with cowboy boots and plain tan bags. Louis looks down to his Jansport backpack and his suitcase and suddenly feels out of place. He groans and turns to Johanna. 

"Mum, you can't make me do this! You know what would be a good scene? Let's go back to Beckener! Jist another chance, Mum." Louis pleaded quietly, as not to let the hicks hear him. Johanna shook her head.

"Louis Tomlinson, what would your father say right now?"

When his mother had fell in love with a cowboy, the best cowboy Beckener Falls had ever seen, they immediately moved out to the ranch. His mother never let him forget that his father was a kind and humble man; nor that he was a state champion bull rider, too. Louis doesn't remember him for those things, though. He remembers him for how he used to set Louis in front of him on their horse, Leila. How he used to bring Louis along to buy new cattle and round them up in the late afternoons. He remembers his father for buying Louis his first football, accepting of the fact that Louis never wanted to be a cowboy and own their old ranch, like his father had wanted. And most importantly, Louis never remembered him as the man who was deemed bedridden and had lost his brown locks, much resembling Louis' long, brown, shaggy hair. When Louis' dad grew ill, he remembered the nights after they had put Leila away that they knocked the footy ball around, practicing for an upcoming game. He never wanted to imagine his dad as someone who was bedridden and weak.  

Louis stayed quiet and looked at the asphalt beneath his vans.

"I paid for this in advance and the judge gave you this or jail time as options. C'mon, best not miss the bus." She guided him with a hand on his back towards the large bus.

"Be good." She warns, dropping her hand. 

"Yeah, yeah. Love you." He nods and steps up the stairs, immediately walking into loud screaming.  

"Look at Miss Priss, everyone! Hey love, you're on the wrong bus, this one doesn't go to the mall." A boy with brown hair snickers to his friend.

"Looks like you need a trip to the mall, pal." Louis mumbles, sitting down in a seat diagonal from him. The boy is about to say something, until a bouncing boy with blonde hair shakes the bus. He sits behind Rude Boy and pulls out cookies. 

"Howdy! I'm Niall. Cookie, anyone?" Niall happily cheers. Everyone shakes their head. He turns to Rude Boy and Louis.

"I'm Niall Horan. What's your name?" Rude Boy sneers at Niall's question. 

"Nick Grimshaw. And that's Miss Priss."

"More commonly known as Louis Tomlinson. To those who aren't completely devoid of normal manners." Louis states, glaring at who he now knows as Nick. Niall smirks and sticks his hand out to Louis. Louis warily shakes it and thinks that he might not be so bad. Another boy interrupts their introductions when he steps onto the bus and immediately starts freaking out about bugs. 

"I sprayed OFF everywhere on my body; the bugs there suck. This is my second year. What about you all?" The tan boy asks. Louis immediately takes a liking to him, as he was wearing a vans shirt. 

"First, parents are forcing me to join this train wreck." Louis smiled at him. The boy had dark fringe and scruff that was a little longer than Louis'. He apparently took a mutual liking towards Louis as well, because he sat directly next to him, without asking. 

"That's rough, bro. Don't worry, it's not that bad." He offers Louis some OFF, to which Louis politely declines. This was going to be a long three weeks.

 --------------

They arrived at the camp with a sudden halt to the bus. The hiss of the bus door made Louis flinch. He needed to get out of this smelly bus with these disgusting people. Louis had sat next to Zayn during the ride, who wasn't all bad. He and his fellow campers picked up their bags and stepped from the bus. Immediately, Louis was hit by the smell of something absolutely foul.

"Jesus H Christ, what is that smell?" Louis covered his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, his other hand clutching his suitcase. The others looked absolutely thrilled to be on this ranch. 

"Horse manure!" A man spoke from beside Louis. Louis spun to find a man with grey hair and a great beard to match on his face. He smiled at him, before turning to the group and clearing his throat. 

"Hey everyone! I'm Robin Twist, and I'll be the ringleader of this show. I'll be teaching you the ways of the ranch and how it is that we run a farm. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you." Louis scoffed inwardly at this. 

"So let's get you all settled in for the night, and tomorrow we'll hit the trails for a proper tour around the ranch." There was an excited hum throughout the group, except for Louis, of course. Robin brought everyone to their assigned cabins and left them alone to "get acquainted." Louis' bunk mates were thankfully Zayn and unthankfully Nick. 

The cabins were a dark rustic wood with a porch and a lawn chair. Their cabin was cabin 2, next to Robin's cabin. Louis was grateful for this because if Nick decided to kill Louis in the middle of the night, at least Robin would hear his screams. The inside of the cabins were the same color wood, with two rooms: the main room with their beds, and the bathroom. There were carpets thrown on the floor of the cabin and the beds had what looked to be handmade quilts on them. Louis thought it was a dump. But he had to live here for the next three weeks. He was going to try to make the best of it. 

"Which bed do you want, Louis?" Zayn asked him. Louis smiled and looked around at the bed right under the window, furthest from the door. He walked towards it, but was knocked to the floor from Nick running past him and jumping on the bed. Louis glared at the smirking Nick before accepting his fate and making him way up and over to the bed closest to the door. Zayn shook his head at Nick and took the remaining bed. The boys' unpacked their bags into dresser drawers and got situated until dinner, which was in the mess hall. 

"Dinner, lads!" Niall came bouncing through their cabin door. The boys laughed and followed Niall into the mess hall. The mess hall was a large, airy building. The floors were wood and the walls were painted a light, dingy brown. The amount of people here made Louis uncomfortable. He had to eat in front of all of these people? 

"Sloppy Joes and corn, boys! Trays are over there!" Robin came up from behind them. Louis cringed. Sloppy joes? As in the holy grail of shirt ruiners? Pass. Hard pass. 

"I'm just gonna go sit. Over there. Yeah." Louis pointed to an empty table and awkwardly shuffled away. He felt out of place and he needed to be at home with his friends. And he needed a smoke. 

"What's up, Lou? Aren't ya hungry? Pam makes the best sloppy joes." Robin sat on the bench across from Louis. Louis rolled his eyes. His kind eyes were scrunched into worry. 

"No, I'm tired and I want to go home. I hate it here." Louis got cranky when he's tired. It was meant to be offensive, but Robin just chuckled. 

"Well, I'll get someone to walk you back to your cabin then. I think Haz is free. Hold on." Louis looked up at Robin, who got up and left, and immediately regretted being rude to him. It wasn't his fault he was stuck here. Louis waited for a few a more minutes, before Robin came back with a large man in tow. The man looked annoyed.  _Great,_ Louis thought,  _here we go._

"Louis, Haz is going to take you back to your cabin. Sorry you're tired, mate. See you tomorrow, bright and early!" Liam smiled and Louis just nodded. He could feel Haz's anger grow. Liam left and Louis was left alone with the angry large man. Louis looked up at Haz, who was glowering at the floor with his brows furrowed. The man, to put it basically, was gorgeous. He had dark brown curls atop his head, pushed up and out of his face, still falling onto his broad shoulders. He had stormy dark green eyes, and plush pink lips. His previously mentioned broad shoulders were covered in mouth watering tattoos, and Louis thanked the lord he was gay. 

And then he opened his mouth. 

"Let's go, Princess." Louis jaw dropped. How dare a camp councilor speak to him this way? 

"Excuse me?" Louis quipped. 

"Want me to write it down for you? Let's go." Haz spun around and began walking without Louis. Louis clenched his jaw and followed Haz outside of the mess hall. 

"Hey!" Louis shouted at Haz, who continued walking. 

"HEY!" Louis shouted louder. Haz looked back and Louis ran to keep up with his long legs. 

"What?" Haz asked. Louis scoffed. 

"Haz? You can't talk to me that way. I'm a camper, you're supposed to be nice to me." Louis sassed. 

"It's Harry, and you clearly don't want to be here, based on your attitude. Why should I treat you kindly?" Harry continued leading Louis to the cabin area. 

"Whatever. I don't care." Louis crossed his arms and stomped his feet as he walked. He heard a snort and his head shot up. Harry had the corners of his mouth turned up. 

"What?!" Louis snapped. 

"You're a child. When something doesn't go your way, do you just throw a tantrum? Is that how you ended up here? Daddy's money wasn't enough and your parents got tired of your attitude?" Louis felt himself tense at the mention of his dad. He stopped walking. 

"You can go. I know the way back to my cabin." Harry stopped and scoffed. 

"I can go? Oh, am I dismissed, your highness?" Louis just looked at his feet. He wanted to be alone. 

"Please go away." Louis mumbled. 

"Fine. Your cabins are over there anyway. Don't be late to the trail ride tomorrow, Princess." And Harry marched away, but not before shouting after Louis. 

"And for the record, I'm not a camp councilor." And Louis walked back to his cabin, wondering why the man hated Louis so much. 

 

Louis woke in the morning to the sound of Niall sitting on Zayn's bed, babbling about the trail ride. Zayn, who looked like he was scared out of his mind, was shaking his head and wringing his hands. 

"We have to ride them?" Zayn squeaked. 

"It's not that bad, Z. They're gentle creatures." Louis rasped, both of their heads snapping to Louis. Zayn nodded, but didn't look like he believed him.

"Wake up, girls!" Came a voice from behind the screen door. Louis inwardly groaned. 

"Everyone is up, Hazza, except for Louis." Nick, who was just now coming out of the bathroom, flirted with Harry.

"Okay, everyone, head out to the trails. Let me talk to Louis by myself." Harry announced. Nick snickered and everyone left the cabin. Louis got out of bed and walked to his dresser. 

"Louis-" 

"What." Louis deadpanned and rifled through his shirt drawer. He found a plain black shirt and tossed off his shirt from yesterday, replacing it with that. He looked down at the tight black jeans he had fallen asleep in, and shrugged. 

"I wanted to apologize about my behavior yest-"

"Save it," Louis interrupted, "Your opinion means nothing to me. You're some cowboy hick who knows nothing about me, and I will never see you again after my prison sentence here. So save it." 

"Prison sentence? This place is anything but a prison. And according to your file, you could've very well been in prison, had you not gon-." Louis spun around. 

"My file? You have a fucking file on me?" Harry suddenly looked like he just told his mother he took a cookie from the cookie jar without permission. 

"It's a court ordered thing. Your mother sent you here to get you out of jail time, and the judge agreed. I am sorry you didn't know we had a file-" 

"You know nothing about m-" 

"Stop interrupting me." Harry snapped. 

"Whatever. Just leave so I can finish getting dressed." Louis says, gathering his Vans. 

"You're not wearing those are you?" Harry pointed to the Vans in Louis' hands. Louis looked down at them. 

"Uh, yes?" 

"We do have snakes you know. And cactus?" Harry raised an eyebrow. 

"That's nice. Even if wanted to wear anything else, these are all I brought." 

"I have some! Boots! Extra, if you want. I can't let you out on the trails in those. Liability and all." Harry smiled, and Louis frowned. 

"Cowboy boots? Why? We're not even the same size, I bet." 

"Just try them. Do you have a jacket too? It's windy out there." Louis shook his head and frowned. He was really unprepared. And what was Harry playing at? 

"Come on, follow me." Louis threw on some socks, and followed Harry through some trees, leading to a large country house. 

"Is this yours?" Louis asked in awe of the large house. Harry just nodded and led Louis up to the two story, blue and white paneled house. It had trees surrounding it, and a cute little porch with flowers and plants hanging and growing from pots everywhere. Louis wondered what position Harry had to have obtained to live in this large house. 

"Green thumb?" Louis asked as they walked past the plants on the porch. 

"I love planting stuff. And I get fruit from some fruit trees out back. Mother nature's organic food tastes better than anything I can pick up in town." Harry boasted. 

"You're a cowboy and a hippie?" Louis asked, before being led into the large living room. There were more of those quilts everywhere, and so many pictures. A large plush leather couch sat in the middle of the living room, and a large flat screen TV sat on the wall in front of it. 

"Or not. You have TV?" Louis asked, sitting on the couch with his feet tucked under him. 

"I hardly use it. Liam likes to watch football on it." Harry said, staring at Louis strangely on the couch.

"Who's Liam? Your boyfriend?" Louis poked. Harry made himself busy and went to a basket by the door with shoes thrown into it. Apparently the question was going unanswered. He shuffled through them until he brought out a pair of tan, beat up cowboy boots. 

"These are from when I was in high school, I reckon they'll fit you." Louis frowned and took them from Harry. 

"Are you implying I am small?" Harry smirked. 

"Tiny." Louis glared in response and shoved the shoes on his sock clad feet. They fit perfectly, much to Louis' annoyance. Harry smiled that southern, dimple-full, charming smile, and Louis melted inside. 

"I need a jacket." Louis grumbled, trying not to let Harry see his weak knees. Harry nodded and brought back a large denim jacket with fur on the collar. 

"Thanks.." Louis took the jacket and looked up at Harry. 

"What?" Harry questioned the looked, almost looking a bit uncomfortable. 

"Why are you being nice to me, now?" Harry's shoulders deflated. 

"I read your file and.. Louis, last night I said something about your dad-"

"If that's why you did all this, you can stop." Louis shot up. 

"Louis, if you need to talk to someone, I'm here." 

"I don't need a therapist. Let's go ride, I bet everyone is wondering where we are." Louis looked down at his feet. Harry stared for a minute, and then nodded, walking out of the house and holding the door for Louis. 

Louis was not looking forward to this ride. 


End file.
